Best SBI credit card for education and school fee payments
SBI cards ranked by what they actually return on education and school fee payments — after monthly caps, excluded categories and surcharges, not by the advertised rate. CardMasters is independent of SBI.
Short answer
Across 7 SBI credit cards, 5 return anything at all on education and school fee payments; the rest cap it, exclude it or levy a surcharge. On ₹10,000 a month of that spend, Cashback SBI Card leads at about ₹100 a month (₹1,200 a year) against an annual fee of ₹999. Figures apply each card's own published caps, exclusions and surcharges rather than its headline rate, from issuer terms recorded on 2026-08-04.
Source: CardMasters issuer-evidence catalogue, release 2026-08-04. Confirm final terms with the issuer.
| # | Card | Per month | Per year | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cashback SBI Card | ₹100 | ₹1,200 | ₹999 + GST |
| 2 | IRCTC SBI Card Premier | ₹80 | ₹960 | ₹1,499 + GST |
| 3 | SBI Card ELITE | ₹50 | ₹600 | ₹4,999 + GST |
| 4 | SimplyCLICK SBI Card | ₹25 | ₹300 | ₹499 + GST |
| 5 | BPCL SBI Card OCTANE | ₹25 | ₹300 | ₹1,499 + GST |
Compare this against every issuer on the same category: best cards for education and school fee payments across all banks →
Frequently asked questions
Which SBI credit card is best for education and school fee payments?
Cashback SBI Card returns the most in the CardMasters model — about ₹100 a month on ₹10,000 of education and school fee payments, ahead of IRCTC SBI Card Premier and SBI Card ELITE. The order changes with your spend level because each card's monthly cap binds at a different point, and the annual fee still has to be subtracted.
Do all SBI cards earn on education and school fee payments?
No. Only 5 of 7 SBI cards tracked here return anything on this category. The others either exclude it from rewards, cap it at zero, or apply a surcharge that cancels the earn — which is why they are left out of the table rather than shown with a headline rate they do not pay here.
Should I pick a SBI card just because I bank with SBI?
Only if it wins on your actual spending. An existing relationship can help with approval and sometimes with pre-approved offers, but it does not make the card the best value. Compare this ranking against the same category across all issuers before deciding.